The invention relates to cylinder head gaskets, with which at least the one side of the gasket plate, i.e. at least its one main surface, is formed by a sheet-metal layer.
Cylinder head gaskets of this type mainly have a gasket plate which has several sheet steel layers placed one on top of the other, of which one or more consists or consist of spring steel sheet and is or are provided with embossments serving as sealing elements which surround through openings of the gasket plate. The embossments may be so-called full bead embossments which are approximately trough-shaped or U-shaped in cross section or so-called half bead embossments which are approximately step-like or Z-shaped in cross section. If such a bead-like embossment is located on the outer side of the cylinder head gasket, i.e. the bead-like embossment is formed in an outer layer of the gasket plate, in the case of a full bead embossment this abuts against the cylinder head or the engine block either with the convex embossment ridge or with its two so-called embossment feet when the cylinder head gasket is fitted; in the case of a half bead embossment, a, to a certain extent, linear abutment of the embossed metal layer on the cylinder head or engine block likewise results in one of the areas of the metal layer, in which this has been bent to form the half bead embossment.
In the case of cylinder head gaskets, with which the main surfaces of the gasket plate are formed by one or more metal layers, it is customary to coat the metallic main surfaces of the gasket plate partially or completely with a plastic material having elastic properties, in particular, in order to prevent leakages in the area of pores and/or cavities in the surfaces (sealing surfaces) of engine block and cylinder head to be sealed in relation to one another for the purpose of the so-called microsealing. These coatings normally have a layer thickness of 18 to 28 xcexcm and consist of an elastomeric material, the degree of cross-linking of which is so great that the coating has sufficient elastic properties for the microsealing.
During operation of the engine, the sealing surfaces of cylinder head and engine block adjacent to the cylinder head gasket carry out movement in a direction at right angles to these surfaces, i.e. the width of the so-called sealing gap formed by the specified surfaces alters during operation of the engine not only with respect to time but also spatially (as a result of the component rigidities of cylinder head and engine block which are not the same all over). During these variations in the width of the sealing gap occurring during operation of the engine, the sealing surfaces of cylinder head and engine block may lift away from the cylinder head gasket in certain areas, despite the spring-back resilience properties of the cylinder head gasket, which can lead to leakages in the area of the bead-like embossments despite the coating described above:
Chippings or other machining residues but also dirt particles can be flushed out of an oil or a refrigerant channel of the engine block or cylinder head during operation of the engine and washed onto a surface area of the cylinder head gasket, from which the adjacent sealing surface of the engine block or cylinder head has just lifted away. Machining residues or dirt particles can, however, already reach the bead-like embossment during the fitting of the cylinder head gasket and, irrespective of how and when they reached the bead-like embossment, certainly have such dimensions that they cannot be pressed and embedded completely into the plastic coating of the cylinder head gasket by way of the sealing surface pressure between the cylinder head gasket, on the one hand, and engine block or cylinder head, on the other hand, and consequently leakages result. This applies, in particular, for the area of a bead-like embossment surrounding an oil or refrigerant through opening of the cylinder head gasket since the plastic coating will already be displaced partially or even entirely in the area of the approximately linear sealing zone, in which the coated bead-like embossment is pressed against the cylinder head or engine block, during the fitting of the cylinder head gasket, i.e. during tightening of the cylinder head screws. If, for example, a metal chip reaches this sealing zone between the bead-like embossment and the cylinder head or engine block, a passage results on both sides of the chip which results in leakage.
If the bead-like embossment is a half bead embossment, this projects outwardsxe2x80x94proceeding from the through opening to be sealedxe2x80x94, i.e. in the direction towards the cylinder head or the engine block. In the case of a full bead embossment, this can either likewise project outwards or point away from the sealing surface of the cylinder head or engine block with its convex embossment ridge so that the two embossment feet facing this sealing surface each form, when the cylinder head gasket is fitted, an approximately linear, self-contained sealing zone with increased sealing surface pressure. In the last-mentioned case, as well, the problem explained above exists that chippings or other machining residues or dirt particles can reach the embossment feet and result in leakages.
The same problems may, however, also result in the interior of the gasket plate of a cylinder head gasket, the gasket plate of which has severalxe2x80x94at least twoxe2x80x94metal layers, of which at least one has elastic properties and is provided with a bead-like embossment surrounding the through opening to be sealed since, during operation of the engine, chippings or the like can pass between the metal layers and then onto such an xe2x80x9cinteriorxe2x80x9d bead-like embossment because, during operation of the engine, two metal layers of a gasket plate can also be lifted away from one another in certain areas, namely also in the area of an embossment ridge or an embossment foot. It should also be mentioned that such an xe2x80x9cinteriorxe2x80x9d bead-like embossment can also be a full bead embossment or a half bead embossment.
The object underlying the invention was to prevent the disadvantageous results of such a leakage in cylinder head gaskets of the types described, brought about at a bead-like embossment by a particle contamination.
On the one hand, the invention proceeds on the basis of a cylinder head gasket with a gasket plate which has at least one metal layer with elastic properties, one side of which forms an outer side of the gasket plate, wherein the gasket plate has a through opening as well as a bead-like embossment surrounding the latter and formed in the metal layer, this bead-like embossment forming an approximately linear, self-contained sealing zone with increased sealing surface pressure on the outer side of the gasket plate when the gasket is fitted, and wherein the metal layer has a first coating consisting of a plastic material with elastic properties on the outer side of the gasket plate at least in the area of the sealing zone as well as to both sides of the latter.
To accomplish the object as set, such a cylinder head gasket is designed in accordance with the invention such that the metal layer is coated on the outer side of the gasket plate with a sealing bead closed upon itself, surrounding the through opening and consisting of a plastic material, this sealing bead being arranged on the side of the sealing zone facing away from the through opening as well as at a slight distance from the sealing zone, wherein the ridge or apex of the sealing bead is at a greater distance from the metal layer than the upper side of the first coating of the metal layer.
On the other hand, the invention proceeds on the basis of a cylinder head gasket with a gasket plate which has at least two metal layers, of which at least a first one has elastic properties, wherein the gasket plate has a through opening as well as a bead-like embossment surrounding the latter and formed in the first metal layer, this bead-like embossment abutting against the other metal layer when the gasket is fitted and thus forming an approximately linear, self-contained sealing zone with increased sealing surface pressure, and wherein the first metal layer has a first coating consisting of a plastic material with elastic properties on its side facing the other metal layer at least in the area of the sealing zone as well as to both sides of the latter.
To accomplish the object as set, such a cylinder head gasket is designed in accordance with the invention such that the first metal layer is coated on its side facing the other metal layer with a sealing bead closed upon itself, surrounding the through opening and consisting of a plastic material, this bead being arranged on the side of the sealing zone facing away from the through opening as well as at a distance from the sealing zone, wherein the ridge of the sealing bead is at a greater distance from the first metal layer than the upper side of the first coating.
If the bead-like embossment is a full bead embossment, it will generally be preferred for the sealing bead provided in accordance with the invention to be arranged outside the bead-like embossment when the sealing bead is located on that side of the metal layer supporting it, on which the convex side of the bead-like embossment is also located. In this case, the sealing bead is not only arranged at a distance from the ridge of the bead-like embossment and thus from the sealing zone formed by it but the sealing bead is also advantageously mounted at a distance from the embossment foot facing it (in the plan view of the embossed metal layer), namely such that this distance from this embossment foot is dimensioned to be of such a size as if the sealing bead were mounted on the other side of the metal layerxe2x80x94adjacent to this embossment foot.
In each of the two cases, the object as set may be accomplished in two different ways with the aid of the sealing bead provided in accordance with the invention: On the one hand, the sealing beadxe2x80x94when seen from the through openingxe2x80x94forms a second sealing zone behind the bead-like embossment, and when the sealing bead has been produced from a plastic material having adequate plastic properties and extends at an adequately small distance from the bead-like embossment, the plastic material of the sealing bead, which is subject to pressure when the gasket is fitted, flows in the direction towards the bead-like embossment and closes the leakage passages formed on both sides of the bead-like embossment by impurities located on it.
In principle, the sealing bead could also be provided on the side of the bead-like embossment or sealing zone facing the through opening, wherein the roles of the two sealing elements bead-like embossment and sealing bead would then be exchanged; however, embodiments are preferred with a sealing bead located on the side of the bead-like embossment facing away from the through opening because the bead-like embossment then, in normal circumstances, takes over the function of a first and main sealing element in accordance with its original task.
The plastic material used for the production of the sealing bead may be selected such that in the cold state it already has sufficient plastic properties and thus adequate flow characteristics on account of a relatively low degree of cross-linking in order to take into consideration the fact that impurities leading to a leakage can already come to rest on the bead-like embossment during the assembly of the engine; the plastic material used to form the sealing bead can, however, also be of such a nature that flow characteristics sufficient for accomplishing the object as set are only reached at the relatively high temperatures occurring during operation of the engine.
In preferred embodiments of the inventive cylinder head gasket the sealing bead is a sealing element preferably applied with the screen printing process, namely, in particular, a sealing bead with a cross-sectional shape approximating a flat rectangle since the screen printing process enables width and height of the sealing bead to be produced to be determined rather exactly.
It would be possible to have the first coating end immediately behind the sealing zone formed by the bead-like embossment and to apply the sealing bead to the metal layer, namely still at a relatively small distance from the sealing zone formed by the bead-like embossment. However, embodiments are preferred, with which the sealing bead has been generated on the first coating, namely, in particular, with the screen printing process.
It already follows from the preceding comments that it is advantageous when the plastic material forming the sealing bead has a greater plasticity than the plastic material used for the first coating. In the case of preferred materials for the two plastic materials, these are fluorocarbon polymers, wherein the first coating is intended to be formed from a fluorocarbon polymer, the degree of cross-linking of which is greater than that of the fluorocarbon polymer forming the sealing beadxe2x80x94in other words, the fluorocarbon polymer forming the sealing bead is intended to have a greater plasticity adequate for sealing off the leakages described.
For a good efficacy of the sealing bead to be provided in accordance with the invention, the sealing bead (in the non-pressed state) should have such a height that the distance of the ridge of the sealing bead from the metal layer supporting it is 5 to 210 xcexcm greater than the distance of the upper side of the first coating from this metal layer. If the bead-like embossment is a full bead embossment, the sealing bead should be higher than in the case of a half bead embossment, wherein it has proven to be particularly advantageous when, with the bead-like embossment designed as a half bead embossment, the difference in distance mentioned is 5 to 80 xcexcm, in particular, 20 to 30 xcexcm and when, with the bead-like embossment designed as a full bead embossment, the difference in distance mentioned is 5 to 150 xcexcm, in particular, 50 to 100 xcexcm.
As shown by the preceding comments, the size of the distance of the sealing bead from the sealing zone formed by the bead-like embossment is considerable when the solution of the object as set is based wholly or partially on an adequate flow of the sealing bead material. On the other hand, the distance between sealing zone and sealing bead may also not be too small in order to preclude the impurities causing a leakage from reaching as far as the area of the sealing bead. For this reason, it is recommended that the distance of the sealing bead from the sealing zone be dimensioned such that it is at least 0.5 mm but preferably no greater than 3 mm.
The metal layer areas to be provided later with the first coating are advantageously covered with a conventional coupling agent before the coating is applied, and the surface areas to be provided with the sealing bead can also be covered beforehand with a coupling agent.
In addition, it is recommended that the first coating and the sealing bead be covered with a nonstick coating in order to prevent any adhesion of the sealing materials to the cylinder head or engine block.
In principle, the inventive solution is recommended for a reliable sealing of fluid through openings of the gasket plate; above all when a full bead embossment is used as bead-like embossment, the inventive solution can, however, also be considered for combustion chamber through openings of cylinder head gaskets, in particular, when the plastic materials used are sufficiently temperature-resistant and arranged at such a distance from the adjacent combustion chamber through opening that they can withstand the temperatures occurring at their locations during operation of the engine.
Additional advantages, features and details of the invention result from the attached claims and/or from the following description as well as the attached drawings illustrating two particularly advantageous embodiments of the inventive cylinder head gasket; in the drawings: